Comic for March 29, 2023: "Conversing with Clovis"

[BadFoMo]

So, the new missing eye is only for his Dragon Forum?

[jacobc62]

*EDIT* Tom updated the page about 10 minutes after I had posted this, so I updated the image link here as well

*EDIT 2* Tom updated the page again

Sketch Link

Look.... Clovis, I get it. Saving someone's life is a big deal, and you do have the right to expect gratitude from them.... But treating them as something barely above a slave, and even worse treating them as a lesser being just because they weren't born with a dick pretty much negates that "right to gratitude"..... In fact, doing all of that kinda leads into them wanting you to be dead because you're treating them like [censored]. I would also argue that everything past the immediate span of time following the creation of the mental link was not "thanks to you" - especially everything that happens following Natani and Zen's introduction in the comic - since a majority of it was done well outside the range of your influence and control.

[tony1695]

So, the new missing eye is only for his Dragon Forum?

I think what we're seeing is his internal image of himself. Unblemished, undamaged and whole. Given the ghostly projection we're seeing, seems like the most plausible explanation.

Given the dialogue, I expect Clovis is about to try and undo the soul link, expecting it to reduce Natani to an empty shell. (Given his personality, the mind can only go to incredibly uncomfortable places) Good thing the [censored]'s unaware that Natani can now function very well without that crutch.

(Also, you'll need to update that image link, the page's url is different to normal)

[Bellhead]

Interesting to learn that one can, in fact, completely burn out of magic. I mean, we knew mana burn was a thing, but I didn't know it could be that serious.

[tony1695]

Interesting to learn that one can, in fact, completely burn out of magic. I mean, we knew mana burn was a thing, but I didn't know it could be that serious.

Could be it's a similar process to what the mage that killed themselves damaging Natani's soul did. I'd guess it'd be a consequence of how quickly they burn through their magic. A lot of small spells damage and then destroy your ability to use magic, a small number of big spells (or just one really big one) do so much damage that the body can't cope with the backlash. At least, that's how I figure it works.

[BadFoMo]

So, the new missing eye is only for his Dragon Forum?

I think what we're seeing is his internal image of himself. Unblemished, undamaged and whole. Given the ghostly projection we're seeing, seems like the most plausible explanation.

Ah that makes sense.

(Also, you'll need to update that image link, the page's url is different to normal)

I don't see anything wrong? What are you talking about?

[tony1695]

(Also, you'll need to update that image link, the page's url is different to normal)

I don't see anything wrong? What are you talking about?

Tom updated the image link at some point

[Sky Shatter]

So...I've had some confusion building the past few pages and this caps it. How would a keidran burn themselves out of magic, and why was Natini struggling before? They don't use their own mana sources—they can't—they draw from the stored energy in crystals they carry. Natini either has a charged mana crystal, or she doesn't. There's no struggle to draw from the depths of her reserves, and there's been no precedent I know of on a limit to how many spells can be cast in a time frame.

[Hulk10]

So...I've had some confusion building the past few pages and this caps it. How would a keidran burn themselves out of magic, and why was Natini struggling before? They don't use their own mana sources—they can't—they draw from the stored energy in crystals they carry. Natini either has a charged mana crystal, or she doesn't. There's no struggle to draw from the depths of her reserves, and there's been no precedent I know of on a limit to how many spells can be cast in a time frame.

I agree. I'm confused too.

[tony1695]

So...I've had some confusion building the past few pages and this caps it. How would a keidran burn themselves out of magic, and why was Natini struggling before? They don't use their own mana sources—they can't—they draw from the stored energy in crystals they carry. Natini either has a charged mana crystal, or she doesn't. There's no struggle to draw from the depths of her reserves, and there's been no precedent I know of on a limit to how many spells can be cast in a time frame.

It's more that there's only so much magic a Keidran can safely use in a short time. Natani already burned through a lot of that safe period when the manor defenses activated, and what Clovis is saying is that any more might permanently destroy her ability to use magic in the future.

[Bellhead]

So...I've had some confusion building the past few pages and this caps it. How would a keidran burn themselves out of magic, and why was Natini struggling before? They don't use their own mana sources—they can't—they draw from the stored energy in crystals they carry. Natini either has a charged mana crystal, or she doesn't. There's no struggle to draw from the depths of her reserves, and there's been no precedent I know of on a limit to how many spells can be cast in a time frame.

It's more that there's only so much magic a Keidran can safely use in a short time. Natani already burned through a lot of that safe period when the manor defenses activated, and what Clovis is saying is that any more might permanently destroy her ability to use magic in the future.

As I understand it, yes, this. Remember that mana, as we know it, it a form of energy produced by something... somehow. And, as a form of energy, it must pass through the body to be used by it, like a conduit.

Humans cannot use crystals, and just draw mana directly from their surroundings. This limits their casting speed and drastically reduces the chances of mana burn, since they need to recharge their "core". Keidren, on the other hand, do not possess the "core" necessary to absorb mana from their surroundings, and are thus required to use crystals, which are basically raw power batteries. This allows them to cast infinitely, as long as they have the crystal supply, but with any energy source pushed through a too-small conduit too fast, can and will cause damage to the conduit, up to and including complete catastrophic failure, or in this case, complete loss of magical ability.

For reference: Magic 101, featuring Professor Raine.

What we learn in this page seems to be that after casting so many powerful spells in a row back in the Oasis Room, and that massive blast at Clovis' dragon form, Natani is feeling the full effect of mana burn. And, just like if you push a muscle too hard too fast, Natani is now finding it difficult to cast magic, even with a near inexhaustible crystal supply. At this stage, if he somehow does manage to cast magic, especially with the amount of power he's trying to use, it could very well push is body far enough past its limits that he would never be able to use it again; mana burn would be so extreme that he would physically lose his ability to cast, like a scar too deep to heal.

Does that make sense?

[Hulk10]

So...I've had some confusion building the past few pages and this caps it. How would a keidran burn themselves out of magic, and why was Natini struggling before? They don't use their own mana sources—they can't—they draw from the stored energy in crystals they carry. Natini either has a charged mana crystal, or she doesn't. There's no struggle to draw from the depths of her reserves, and there's been no precedent I know of on a limit to how many spells can be cast in a time frame.

It's more that there's only so much magic a Keidran can safely use in a short time. Natani already burned through a lot of that safe period when the manor defenses activated, and what Clovis is saying is that any more might permanently destroy her ability to use magic in the future.

As I understand it, yes, this. Remember that mana, as we know it, it a form of energy produced by something... somehow. And, as a form of energy, it must pass through the body to be used by it, like a conduit.

Humans cannot use crystals, and just draw mana directly from their surroundings. This limits their casting speed and drastically reduces the chances of mana burn, since they need to recharge their "core". Keidren, on the other hand, do not possess the "core" necessary to absorb mana from their surroundings, and are thus required to use crystals, which are basically raw power batteries. This allows them to cast infinitely, as long as they have the crystal supply, but with any energy source pushed through a too-small conduit too fast, can and will cause damage to the conduit, up to and including complete catastrophic failure, or in this case, complete loss of magical ability.

For reference: Magic 101, featuring Professor Raine.

What we learn in this page seems to be that after casting so many powerful spells in a row back in the Oasis Room, and that massive blast at Clovis' dragon form, Natani is feeling the full effect of mana burn. And, just like if you push a muscle too hard too fast, Natani is now finding it difficult to cast magic, even with a near inexhaustible crystal supply. At this stage, if he somehow does manage to cast magic, especially with the amount of power he's trying to use, it could very well push is body far enough past its limits that he would never be able to use it again; mana burn would be so extreme that he would physically lose his ability to cast, like a scar too deep to heal.

Does that make sense?

I'd say it does.

[Sky Shatter]

Does that make sense?

Strange, I recall and the wiki supports that humans can use mana crystals to enhance their natural spellcasting. That's the entire function of Templar Towers, after all. They're giant mana crystal batteries for the Templar to draw from.

[Bellhead]

Does that make sense?

Strange, I recall and the wiki supports that humans can use mana crystals to enhance their natural spellcasting. That's the entire function of Templar Towers, after all. They're giant mana crystal batteries for the Templar to draw from.

Right, this is indeed a thing. My assumption was that a human can augment their casting speed/power by being connected to the tower, or more specifically, by having their core connected. Regarding humans' use of mana crystals beyond that, I can't say for sure. The only instances we have of such are Eric's light and Raine's shackle, and even then, Raine was the only one who mentioned having crystals.

[FuryoftheStars]

Interesting to learn that one can, in fact, completely burn out of magic. I mean, we knew mana burn was a thing, but I didn't know it could be that serious.

Could be it's a similar process to what the mage that killed themselves damaging Natani's soul did. I'd guess it'd be a consequence of how quickly they burn through their magic. A lot of small spells damage and then destroy your ability to use magic, a small number of big spells (or just one really big one) do so much damage that the body can't cope with the backlash. At least, that's how I figure it works.

RE: the mage that killed themselves damaging Natani's soul, I understood this to be because of the type of spell used ("forbidden magic") vs "too powerful", where the spell always has a small chance of killing the caster: https://twokinds.keenspot.com/comic/449/